A statistically significant, but small, increased relative risk of learning disabilities in children born via IVF

shutterstock_130308110

In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) is used to help people who experience difficulties in conceiving (see NICE’s guideline for information eligibility). It involves fertilising an egg with sperm in the laboratory, before reimplanting the fertilised egg into the woman’s womb to develop as normal. In cases of male infertility, the sperm can be injected directly in to [read the full story…]

New mental health commissioning guides from JCPMH

Some doctors are reluctant to talk to patients about reducing their use of prescription drugs, even if they know there is no longer a medical reason for continued use.

Those lovely people at the Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health (JCP-MH) have published four new guides to help those of you involved in commissioning community specialist services, older people’s services, inpatient and crisis home treatment and services for people with learning disabilities. These guides are short (around 20 pages), readable and nicely summarised with ten [read the full story…]

People with disability are more likely to be victims of violence and to suffer mental illness as a result

Fight

In the UK over 10 million people live with a disability, many of whom suffer from violence (Department for Working Pensions, 2011). A recent World Report on Disability by WHO (2011) highlighted that people living with disabilities are at  risk from sexual and physical violence. Despite this, little is known about who is at risk [read the full story…]

Are you making the most of your National Elf Service?

The Lifestyle Elf

It’s not all about the Mental Elf you know. There are lots of other elves who spend every waking hour scurrying around to find reliable evidence to help you. There are now seven magnificent elf websites and one more due to launch very soon.  Here’s a quick run down of my brothers and sisters in [read the full story…]

Oral Health Care of People with Learning Disabilities – updated guidance

shutterstock_104583155

Updated Clinical Guidelines and Integrated Care Pathways for the Oral Health Care of People with Learning Disabilities are now available from the British Society for Disability and Oral Health (BSDH). These guidelines were originally a joint
 initiative between the Development Group
 for Community Dental Practice of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of The Royal College [read the full story…]

Over one third of adults with severe learning disabilities living in private households in England have autism according to new NHS report

shutterstock_13940821

Adults with a more severe learning disability also have a greater likelihood of having autism according to a new report published by the NHS Information Centre. The report combines data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) 2007 with findings from a new study based on a sample of people with learning disabilities living in [read the full story…]

Memantine is not an effective treatment for dementia in people with Down’s syndrome, according to new RCT

shutterstock_23700235

People with Down’s syndrome are more likely to develop dementia than others and one in three will have the illness as early as in their 50s. Despite this high prevalence, there is very little reliable research about drug treatments for this population. This small randomised controlled trial (funded by the drug company Lundbeck) aimed to [read the full story…]